Serotta HSG vs Cervelo RS

[mlindy]

Unfortunately I totaled my 2005 Trek Madone on Saturday morning. I'm currently looking at a Serotta HSG or a Cervelo RS. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated? While very light, the Cervelo seems to be an extremely stiff ride. The custom Serotta is tempting though...

Cheers,

[Lifelover]

Stiffness (in a bike frame :) ) is over rated. A small amount of energy is going to be disbursed in any system as dynamic as a rider on a bike. Better the frame than the rider.

Get the Serotta and don't look back.

[Blue Jays]

Best wishes for a speedy and full recovery if you received any injuries. Deciding between a new Cervelo and a new Serotta bicycle?
Absolutely select the Serotta in a heartbeat! I say this as one who doesn't yet own a Serotta, as they're iconic in the sport.

[Climb01742]

if you can, do test ride. at least with a stock bike, you know what you're getting. hopefully you can find a dealer with an HSG built up. Keep in mind, the RS was ridden in paris-roubaix, so there is compliance there. both are potentially good choices.

[soulspinner]

I work at a Trek store, and the latest edition of the Madone is surprisingly compliant.That said, the Serotta is available in custom so if you have the $ why not? Plus, its their house. :)

[Pete Serotta]

New Trek is a nice ride.....BUT I am SEROTTA biased and if your budget can accommodate it get the HSG (I even have one on order)>

Additionally I have sold a HSG to an employee of TREK, YES he also has a MADONE.


PETE

[oldguy00]

Correct me if I am wrong, but the HSG is a stock geo designed with a short head tube, no?
The RS is just the opposite, designed with a very tall head tube.

So if one fits you really well, the other may not...

[soulspinner]

New Trek is a nice ride.....BUT I am SEROTTA biased and if your budget can accommodate it get the HSG (I even have one on order)>

Additionally I have sold a HSG to an employee of TREK, YES he also has a MADONE.


PETE

Here :beer: s a glass of red to that

[jlwdm]

One of the big concerns with Cervelos is little change in seat tube angles with different size bikes. I do not know if this is the case with this model.

Thus there have been more concerns about fit with small frames and large frames - better fit options for most riders with average size frames. This does not mean small and large wouldn't work for you it just means you need to make double sure that the bike fits you properly. On the other hand you need to make sure any bike fits you properly.

Jeff

[Smiley]

Correct me if I am wrong, but the HSG is a stock geo designed with a short head tube, no?
The RS is just the opposite, designed with a very tall head tube.

So if one fits you really well, the other may not...
HSG is more racier yet the Fierte carbon is with a taller head tube, same tubset in my mind.

[Pete Serotta]

you can also get an hsg custom..... :)

HSG is more racier yet the Fierte carbon is with a taller head tube, same tubset in my mind.

[Dave]

There is really not much difference in the HTL of the two models, since the HSG uses a conventional headset, while the 2cm extended head tube on the RS uses an integrated headset. In my size, the two would have nearly identical HTLs, with the headset installed.

Considering the big difference in price, it seems like an apples and oranges comparison.

[djg]

I'm really happy with my HSG Ti (no longer available), but there are the questions what you like and what you want to pay, about which I have no input. As for fit, I think that the HSG may offer better size selection and then a custom option on top of that, but you probably know what fits you already and if you know that Cervelo has something that fits in a sensible geometry, then you do.

Given that you've just trashed a bike, one thing that might stand out about Serotta is the availability of crash protection (which I've purchased for my HSG) -- you'll need to check the web site (and maybe with Pete) for details, but if you're concerned about trashing a bike racing or just driving it into a garage roof, it might provide some relatively inexpensive peace of mind.

[fixednwinter]

Thus there have been more concerns about fit with small frames and large frames - better fit options for most riders with average size frames. This does not mean small and large wouldn't work for you it just means you need to make double sure that the bike fits you properly. On the other hand you need to make sure any bike fits you properly.


This is definitely a legitimate concern. Most riders on smaller frames need a steeper seat angle (less setback) and the opposite is true on the largest size.

I'm one of the exceptions to the rule - I ride tiny (51cm) frames, but have a long femur so the 73 degrees of the Cervelo seat angle actually works for me. With their non-RS road bikes, however, there is another issue with the smaller sizes - the reach and front-centre are very short. There is scary toe overlap on the 48 and 51cm frames, the likes of which I've never seen before.

The RS geometry goes a long to address that problem in the smaller sizes. While the reach is about the same, the slacker head angle gives the front-centre a bit more room. The 48cm uses 650C tires, dramatically decreases the chance of toe overlap. The extra cm at the chain stays also improves tracking.

[Dave]

One of the big concerns with Cervelos is little change in seat tube angles with different size bikes. I do not know if this is the case with this model.

Jeff


There is some debate about the exact STA of Cervelo frames. With the ST sometimes moved forward from the BB center, the actual STA may not be 73 degrees in all cases. Cervelo "normalizes" them so you can compare the TT length as if the STA is really 73. The worst case is you end up need a different seatpost setback than expected.

I owned a 51cm R3 briefly, but didn't go to all the effort to try to accurately measure the STA. I thought the geometry sucked and the ride wasn't great, so I sold it after 200 miles of use. I used the setback post that came with the frame, even though my other frames have 74.5 degree STAs. It didn't seem like there was really 18mm more setback than my other frames.

They have a technical presentation that is basically correct, but ignores potential problems with the seapost setback.

LOOK used the same 72.5 degree STA on all sizes of their frames for quite a few years. I owned a 51cm KG381 with that STA and a 54cm TT. The reach was actually shorter than a newer KG461 with a 74.5 STA and 52.5cm TT. I ended up with a non-setback post on teh 381 to get the saddle nose where I needed it. With the current 74.5 degree STAs, I use 25-32mm of setback.